Ray Slim - 14oz Gunpowder Black Selvedge

The Ray by Indigofera is a great fitting slim jean with a tiny bit of taper to the leg opening. The top block is not too constrictive, with a medium rise.

Gunpowder is not just a cool name that Indigofera settled on for their black denim – it’s actually descriptive, as the dye used for the black warp/black weft fabric contains actual gunpowder, helping to give the color both a deep blackness and a little sheen.

These run slightly large and will stretch, size down if you’re in between sizes.

Indigofera is the latin name for the genus of plants that includes everyone’s favorite clothing dye. It is also the name that seemed most natural for Mats and Johan when deciding what to call their fledgling clothing company back in 2007.

Based in Stockholm, Sweden, Indigofera specialize in - as you might expect – denim, but have also become widely known for their shirts and wool blankets. Working closely with both European and Japanese mills, they focus first on fabrics, before evn beginning to map out the cutting and sewing of a garment. This focus on textiles goes as far as having proprietary denims and flannels woven specifically for Indigofera.

Aesthetically, Indigofera falls somewhere between traditional workwear and a look that’s more reminiscent of the appropriation of that workwear by bikers and hot-rodders during the 50s and 60s, albeit with a more modern, tailored fit.

Indigofera themselves are proud of the fact that their look forges it’s own path, rather than looking around to the rest of the fashion world for direction; co-founder, and former commercial director of Levi’s Vintage, Mats Andersson is on record as saying that ‘Indigofera is not a brand that you have to doubt if you’re cool enough to wear it’.

A good example of this practical approach to both style and construction can be found by simply looking at the hem of any pair of Indigofera jeans. Whereas the accepted wisdom amongst denim purists is that chainstitched hems are more ‘authentic’ and, therefore, more desirable, Indigofera bucks this trend by using a simple running stitch to hem all of their jeans. Why? Because it’s a stronger stitch and less prone to unravelling.